PHOTO REPORT: Disney’s Animal Kingdom 2/1/17 (AVATAR, Rivers of Light, Lots of Animals, New Merchandise, Etc.)

Our latest photo report brings us to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to see the latest progress on Pandora: The World of AVATAR, Rivers of Light, and more around the park. Let’s take a look…

Wild Places and Parking Spaces

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The large dirt barrier behind Pandora: The World of AVATAR is still quite visible from outside of the park. Trees should be planted here fairly soon.

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I didn’t realize that they had installed electric vehicle parking at Animal Kingdom, but it is there, located just behind the handicap section.

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Pandora looms in the distance…

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Pandora: The World of AVATAR

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The AVATAR area continues to speed towards an expected May 2017 opening, although Disney is just saying Summer 2017 at this point.

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Pandora, as seen from the top of Expedition Everest.

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If you want more photos of Pandora: The World of AVATAR, be sure to check out our latest post on it here. Also, the video update below:

Wings and Things

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The former Terra Treats allergy friendly menu is gone, replaced by beer and wings (for the most part)…

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The clearly labeled display wings… I’m not sure of there real order is that small, but if it is, it is $2 a wing.

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Meanwhile, the Harambe Popcorn cart is now selling merchandise: music CDs and binoculars.

Rivers of Plight

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On most days, the Discovery River Theater is open for guest seating. It’s starting to sound like we won’t see Rivers of Light until AVATAR opens though.

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All of the FastPass+ signage is up and ready to go when the time comes.

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If you haven’t seen our video of the show being tested earlier this month, take a look below:

This Park Has Animals at Least

Adventurers Outpost and Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom Now Closing Early

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is altering the operating hours of two of its attractions over the next few weeks.

Kali River Rapids will be open from 10AM-5PM on December 4th-17th, 10AM-7PM on December 18th-24th, and 9AM-7PM on December 25th-31st.

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The Adventurers Outpost (the only standard meet and greet which offers the pair together, by the way) will now operate from park open until 4:30PM daily. 

It is unknown if these changes will continue into the new year and if the imminent debut of Rivers of Light will bring these attractions back to their old original operating hours.

Hostess with the Mostess – Top 5 Water Rides at Disney World Results

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Welcome back to WDWNT’s Hostess with the Mostess! The best place for your weekly Disney fix! It has been unbelievable hot where I live! While swimming in my pool I was inspired to talk about the cool, refreshing, and exciting water rides of Walt Disney World.

If you are behind and missed last week’s post you can read it right here. As a little reminder, here is my list.

Kali River Rapids

Kali River Rapids

My Top 5 Favorite Water Rides at Walt Disney World.

  •   5. Maelstrom/Frozen Ever After
  •   4. Jungle Cruise
  •   3. Pirates of the Caribbean
  •   2. Kali River Rapids
  •   1. Splash Mountain

Now let’s see how you voted!

5. Frozen Ever After. Frozen did not get much love. Only two voters represented this new attraction. Is it because it’s just not a fan favorite or could it be because it’s so new and not many have ridden it yet? What do you think?  I am very excited to take my first ride to Arendelle next month!

4. Jungle Cruise came in at number four. I was surprised at first that this attraction did not make it further up on the list, but when I looked at the numbers it was only one vote away for tying for number three! Jungle Cruise is without a doubt on my “list.” You know the list that every Disney fanatic has … the attractions you would want to work on if you ever become a Disney Cast Member. I am sure I am not the only one … right? That just gave me a great idea! That would make for a really fun countdown! If you do not already have a list, you better start thinking about what attractions at Disney World you would want to work on because you know I will want to hear from you!

3. Kali River Rapids barely made it into the number three spot. Brandon said, “I’ll have to disagree with the Kali River Rapids. We rode that for the first time this year. After 2.5 hours standing in line, the ride lasted for 2 minutes. It was a complete let down. Everyone on our raft were saying, ‘That’s it?!’ I will never waste my time on that again.” Brandon has a great point. Kali is very short and not worth a long wait. Even though it is my number two pick, I would never wait in a long line for it. Fastpass all the way!

2. Yo Ho, let’s go to our number two pick! I’m sure you guessed it by that corny introduction … Pirates of the Caribbean! That’s right folks; those swashbuckling singers must have stolen everyone’s hearts! This Pirate adventure certainly deserves it’s placement at number two! Trivia question … Paul Frees voiced many of the pirates including the Auctioneer, what other Magic Kingdom attraction did he voice another important role?

1. Splash Mountain blew all of the other attractions out of the water! Brer Rabbit raced way ahead of the competition and landed in first with ease. I had a feeling that Splash Mountain would be the fan favorite. How can it not? There is so much fun and Disney detail packed into that log flume it is a magical treat with every ride!

Our honorable mention comes from Travis, “I voted Splash Mountain, but if we’re permitted to dig into the past, I have to mention 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Incredible ride, gone too soon …” Since I brought up Maelstrom, I think it’s only fair to include 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I am too young to have experienced its greatness. But I have done a lot of research and have heard from a lot of people how wonderful it was. My Dad raves about that attraction and I know he would want nothing more than to have the opportunity to ride it.

Splash Mountain

Splash Mountain, Tokyo Disneyland

Staying Dry on Water Rides

Before I go, I am going to share some of my Hostess tips on how to stay dry on these wet attractions. Part of the fun is getting wet! But that doesn’t mean you want to get soaked.

 – Ponchos. They are wonderful things! They are so compact and take up no room at all in your bag. It is so easy to throw one on before the ride. Make sure you purchase one at the Dollar Store before your trip. They are much more expensive in the parks. Ponchos are great at keeping you dry from all of the water coming at you from above. But they are even better when it comes to the real problem … you know what I’m talking about. Yes, that’s right, that pesky puddle of water that sits on the seat and is just waiting to give you a soggy bottom. Ponchos come to the rescue! They are long enough to sit on and help to keep your derriere dry!

– Another helpful item that you can take with you is a gallon bag. These bags are perfect for keeping your personal items dry. Water can easily seep through your bags or pockets and get to that phone or worse yet the cash you saved for that Mickey Mouse ice cream bar. Gasp! In order to prevent an ice cream-less disaster, just put all of your personal items in a gallon bag for safety.

– Some rides have special tricks to stay dry. On Splash Mountain, I have found there are two places you can sit in the log to stay a little drier. The left side of the boat and the back row does not get as much water. I always put my hands up on Chickapin Hill (AKA the big drop), but right before we get to the bottom I put my hands down and duck down as far as I can. This obviously does not prevent the water that is coming down on you, but your face and hair will stay dry!

– On Kali River Rapids there isn’t much hope for staying dry unless maybe wearing a poncho. The most important tip I can offer will at least help keep your feet dry. And let’s be honest, wet socks and shoes are one of the worst parts of getting soaked. Keep your feet up on the bar in front of you during the ride. The floor of the raft fills up with water and in order to keep your feet away from the forming pool, you have to put your feet up!

– What if you want to get soaked but not stay soaked? In that case, I say take extra socks and a hand towel. Having wet feet is pretty miserable but carrying extra shoes and clothes can get really bulky. A good compromise would be to pack extra socks and a hand towel in one of those handy dandy gallon bags. Your feet will thank you and you would be surprised how much water a little hand towel can remove!

 – My last tip is all in the planning. I suppose planning does not really keep you dry per say, but it does help in those wet situations. First things first, do not wear white or clingy clothes. They will only become a bigger hassle! Second, try to plan out the time you will be riding the attraction. You do not want to show up to your dinner reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table soaked. Not only will you be uncomfortable but the air conditioning will make for a very cold evening. Make sure you have plenty of time to dry off before other important plans.

My Extra Magic Tip for the week: Hand dryers. Use them! These little guys can be very helpful when you’re drenched.

Thank you to everyone who voted and commented. As always it is so much fun to learn about what you think! Remember to check back next week for another countdown of my favorites!

See ya real soon!

Dirk Wallen’s 3/3/15 WDW Photo Report (Hat is Gone, Toy Story Mania Expansion, Haramabe Marketplace, ETC.)

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom this week and has some great newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip, so let’s take a look:

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NO MORE SORCERER’S HAT

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Neverbeast banners up in the Animation Courtyard

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Also, an ad for Big Hero 6 on Blu-ray

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A Tomorrowland billboard has gone up by PIXAR Place

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An Inside Out billboard at the other end of the street

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Still no signs of life at the Backlot Tour

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A Cinderella billboard behind the Great Movie Ride

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After years of waiting, walls are up outside of Stage 1, possibly the home of a third Toy Story Mania track

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Moving over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, walls have engulfed what was the Island Merchantile pin cart

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Work continues on Rivers of Light

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From Everest, you can see the vertical construction of AVATAR

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Also, the prep work for Rivers of Light

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We assume the need to run pipes through the viewing area is for some water effects that will take place in the audience, similar to World of Color

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Work continues on revamping the entrance to Kali River Rapids

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Work continues on the new Africa Marketplace area, including the Harambe Marketplace restaurant

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Some of the buildings in the marketplace are nearing completion

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A look at the AVATAR construction walls… still nothing to see here

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And one last look at Rivers of Light construction

Kali River Rapids Ride Entrance To Be Relocated During Upcoming Refurbishment

Guests always seem to be confused about how to get to Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom, so Disney is going to be making it a little easier for them to find it…

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The former home to the old FastPass machines for the ride will be the new attraction marquee and entrance when the ride returns from its refurbishment scheduled from January 20th through February 9th, 2015. Hopefully this will help guests locate the attraction easier than the more subtle signage and location in use today at the park.

Zach Larson’s 2/6/12 WDW Photo Report

From Super Bowl MVP parades to Animal Kingdom, WDWNT Reporter Zach Larson brings us around the world with him on a very busy photo report. Let’s take a look:

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Land clearing continues for the Grand Floridian DVC wing

overgrowth getting cleared away

Meanwhile, some brush is being cleared from this island in the Seven Seas Lagoon

The main street characters were out entertaining guests waiting for Eli Manning to parade down the street. I really don’t like the new one in the beige shorts…

They were offering free balloons with every audio guide purchased! 😉

Giants fans out in force

Here comes the Super Bowl MVP

Congratulations to our hometown champions, the New York Giants… even though I’m a Dolphins fan… stop laughing…

The Big Thunder Mountain refurbishment rolls on

I love this sign

The Pecos Bill’s facade is out from behind tarps and looks great

More of the facade still covered

The Frontierland Trading Post still behind tarps

Pathway work continues and Electrical Parade takes a break and Celebrate a Dream Come True stays on Main Street

Work continues on the old Fantasyland Skyway

Restrooms are coming, but rumors say to expect more

Rumors indicate that a Tangled play area and an area for guests to rest and recharge electronics is coming

Work continues on the Peter Pan’s Flight queue

Crane up in New Fantasyland

The new Tomorrowland/Fantasyland vending cart costume is a better fit for Tomorrowland in my opinion

Work continues on the castle walls

The crane! The crane!

Storybook Circus

The Dumbo queue is coming along

Beast’s Castle

They are finally topping Prince Eric’s Castle at Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

A spire finally appears at the very edge of the castle! PROGRESS!

Fantasyland Station is looking great

The old Dumbo spinner is now sitting next to the completed new spinner

I really love the pastels

It’s hard to improve a simple spinner, but I think they have

Circus tents

Awww….

Bye balloons… sniff…

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Main Street bridge work continues

Center Street still behind tarps

Chamber of Commerce/Package Pick-Up behind tarps as well

Cosmic Ray’s installed these screen menu boards a while ago

I like this shot…

Lights were on in Space Mountain

Long line for the Peoplemover

Something is missing…

Oooooo…

Walls still up behind the shrunken pet cemetery

Ooooo….

Another new Haunted Mansion shirt

On to Epcot

Test Track on the map, get them while you can

Kind of empty…

The screen works!

This scene may be gone soon…

GM cars out in the loop

Punch it Chewie!

Plenty of blue Chevy labeled cars out

The VISION House is coming to Innoventions soon

Habit Heroes is testing

Some clever puns… good thing this isn’t DCA…

The Final Boss, He's defeated with exercise.

There were quite a few bugs and they weren’t allowing pics inside, so listen to next week’s podcast for a full review

Doors locked for some reason

MINE!

No, they are not putting FASTPASS machines in…

Nemo?

In case you don’t know how to play Simon…

Preparations have begun for the Flower and garden Festival

They keep adding more and more signs for Kim Possible

The new Future World directional signs

The Canada facade refurbishment is done and it looks brand new

Leave a Legacy being fixed up

Over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, work continues on one of the paths in the Oasis

Kali River Rapids is closed for refurbishment

These were added some time ago, but the seating area at the Yak and Yeti counter service now has covered sections

I miss these signs that don’t say dream builders…

The drink window was open